Pearls and Dragons
by Ami1010
Summary: NejiTen one-shot collection. Chapter 3: There were flowers, someone's favorite breakfast, a hand made card and a picture. It was Tenten's birthday.
1. Positive

Hi, everybody! It's been like a year and a half since I last posted anything here and I really wanted to write more, so here we go.

Nothing amazing, but hopefully some people will like it! I don't trust myself to finish a long story so I am going with little one shots, and it's easier with my simple and basic English! xD

This is planned to be a one shot collection, but we shall see.

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 **The Title:** Pearls and dragons have nothing to do with the content. It's basically just another way to say Neji and Tenten, so really, it's just a lame title.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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 **This chapter:**

 **Title:** Positive

 **Pairing:** NejiTen

 **Genre:** Family, Romance

AU - _Love, Warmth, Happiness, Family!_ -universe. (My first posted fanfic, a birth story). This takes place around 4 years earlier, but you don't need to know anything.

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"Any results yet?"

Neji was leaning with one shoulder against the bathroom's door frame, arms crossed, as he waited for his wife, who has insisted that he does so because she was scared of doing this on her own, which, technically, she was, since he wasn't allowed to be with her and had to wait outside.

"No!" Came the almost shaky voice, muffled from behind the door. "It says it needs two minutes."

"Calm down, Ten, we're almost sure." He waited for her to say something but she didn't, so he added, "And if it doesn't work this time, it will next time." he tried to reassure her.

"But I want it to work _this_ time!"

"You said this last month too and you've had a happy life since then until today."

"Last month was just so. This time is different. Oh, Neji, I am going to be so disappointed if I'm not pregnant." She sounded on the verge of tears and Neji sighed.

"It's alright, Tenten, everything will be fine."

"Don't give me that crap." She scolded. Oh, the temper! That was also a sign, "And it better be a girl this time, Hyuuga. I want a daughter!"

"And why, exactly, are you saying it like you're warning me, as if I had any power over the matter?"

"Just because! I swear, Neji, if it's a boy again then... then.. then I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Well, that was an interesting threat."

" _Shut up!_ "

His other eyebrow shot upwards too at that. He certainly wasn't used to be told to shut up by his wife, "Did you notice that you're having mood swings?"

"No!"

"Oh?" Seriously, the woman was too nervous, "And you know that I want a daughter just as much as you do, so don't go threatening me."

"I said shut up."

"I think you forgot the pregnancy test."

There was a gasp and then a few moments of silence before he heard a soft "Oh my God", barely audible from the closed bathroom, and then a louder one on a shaky voice before the door burst opened and Tenten shoved the pregnancy test in his face, so close that he couldn't see anything, not that it wasn't obvious.

"It's positive!" She exclaimed with joy, grinning from ear to ear.

He took the test from her, removing her hand from his face, and quickly glanced at the strips indicating pregnancy before looking to his wife with a warm smile and meeting her eyes that were gleaming with pure happiness, "Told you so." he said softly and pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms, and kissed her temple. "Congratulations!" He felt her return his embrace and tighten her hold around him before he heard a sniff, "Oh, no, here come the dangerous pregnancy hormones." he joked with the same soft voice as he felt the wetness on his neck.

She chuckled lightly, vibrating in his hold, and sniffed again, "Of course I am going to cry, silly, even if the hormones had no effect."

He kissed her again, "I love you." he breathed, the words packed with so much emotion as he, too, tightened his hold around her, pulling her even closer. He then pulled back slightly looking her in the glistening eyes, his hands on her upper arms - pregnancy test trapped between her shoulder and his hand - and his smile intact. He kissed her tenderly on the lips, short and sweet and loving.

"I'm so happy." She smiled, resting her hands on her lower belly, "Oh, my God, there's a baby growing inside of me!" she marveled, sounding as if it were her first child.

Neji handed her back the pregnancy test, which she inspected in awe again, before he knelt in front of her, gently holding her hips, and kissed her lower abdomen like he'd done two times before when they'd discovered a new addition to their family on the way.

Tenten loved the gesture and she smiled down at him, lightly holding his head in her hand, "Tell the baby it needs to be a girl."

Neji was about to stand up but he pressed his lips against her belly again, "You better be a girl, little one." he told the oblivious unborn child.

Tenten laughed, not expecting him to go with the silly request. He stood up and she leaned into him again. "I want to tell the boys so badly." She exhaled disappointedly, knowing that it was still too early to share the news with the family.

"They're going to be so happy."

"And Hizashi is older now; he will be more aware of the situation. I really want to see how he's going to react to the news."

"I can picture him asking first thing if it's a boy or a girl." Tenten hummed in agreement, "And Mini-Tenten is going to be thrilled to become a big brother." she giggled lightly at her younger son's nickname, given to him by his grandfather, Hizashi.

"Oh, I am so excited, I am so happy." She sighed blissfully.

"Well," Her husband pulled her slightly away from him, "are we going to stay here next to the bathroom door forever?"

"I will tell my mother first thing in the morning, and we will tell the children and our fathers later when I am ten weeks through."

"All right." He nodded, "But let's move away from the bathroom."

"Or maybe eight weeks is enough. I can't keep it in for so long!"

"Tenten! Are you even listening to me?"

"What do you want?" She half snapped at him.

He sighed and took her hand before starting in the direction of their bedroom. "Let's go to bed. Are you tired?" He asked glancing back at her.

"No. Not really."

"Perfect!" He smirked and she smiled lovingly.

After all, there was nothing better to celebrate a pregnancy than what caused it.

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So, that is it. Thanks for reading this little sweet NejiTen moment. Some support would be nice. :)

Writing and reading sweet NejiTen makes me happy, and I love babies and family stories!

Until next time, NejiTen five-ever! ;)


	2. Lost, period!

Hello! :) A new chapter after 4 months. I really hadn't noticed that it has been so long. I hope you like it. It turned out longer than I thought it would be, but it's ok.

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 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

* * *

 **This chapter:**

 **Title:** Lost, period!

 **Genre:** General. A little bit of romance, humor, adventure(?) and hurt/comfort (physical).

AU, high school. Their age: 17/18

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They were on a school camping trip in the forest and having fun. It was early autumn and the leaves were starting to fall off the trees and turn the beautiful golden orange of the season. All their friends were there and everything was perfect, full of laughter and marshmallows and games and discovering beautiful Nature.

That is, until discovering beautiful Nature became unorganized in the form of Tenten wanting to take a walk and not listening to his advice of better staying with the group so they don't get lost. So, get lost, they did.

It'd been already two hours.

"What now?" Tenten groaned, glancing about. "It's all your fault."

"The hell?" Neji bit out, fumbling with her phone in a desperate attempt to try and turn it on, in case it was only turned off and not completely dead. "Who's the one who wanted to take a walk and didn't listen to me and stay with the others?"

It would've been a manageable situation had they had the help of the GPS, but her phone had died half an hour into their "walk" and his was forgotten on the mat, where he'd been sitting, in his hast to catch up with her and not leave her alone for the craziness of her cravings. Now he was stuck, too.

He gave up on the phone.

"If we'd gone the way I wanted, we would've been back ages ago, but no, Mr. know-it-all knows better how to get us back, and now we're lost."

"That was obviously the wrong way, Tenten."

"Oh, shut up and stop talking as if you were born in these woods and actually do something."

He glared at her, lips in a thin line, and the slight, irrational tinge of hurt that he felt must have showed in his eyes, because the next thing he knew she was looking apologetic.

"Sorry, Neji, I am getting nervous, I guess." She sighed and pressed a palm into her eye in frustration, "God! What was I thinking to go alone like that?!" she sighed again and added in a small regretful voice, "I didn't want to go so far."

"It's okay now." He removed her hand from her face and placed her phone onto her palm. "We cannot undo what happened, and we did have fun for a while." He offered a small smile that she returned lovingly and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It's not like we're going to die here."

"We might."

"We won't. Now come on," He took the hand that wasn't holding the phone in his own and started moving again. "We need to head east."

"Isn't it better if we just stayed where we are and waited for them to find us?" She asked as she put her phone back into her pocket while being dragged behind her boyfriend.

"They won't call the police before evening, trust me. I'd rather spend the remaining few hours trying to find back to the group. We might need to spend the night here anyway, so why not?"

Tenten gulped at the thought, "I don't want to spend my night in the wilderness." she looked around apprehensively, "There are insects and animals.." a gasp, "What if there are wolves or some other predators? Oh, a squirrel!" Sounding cheerful again, a second after being on the verge of tears, Tenten yanked her hand out of Neji's and carefully came closer to the small animal that was running in circles around a tree trunk . "Awww! It's so cute!"

"Don't you dare following that thing and changing direction. We're lost as it is." Neji warned.

"I am right here. Your eyes are supposed to be the best."

Neji rolled those very eyes and crossed his arms. He watched with slight amazement as his girlfriend reached into her pocket and retrieved a handful of almonds before getting into a squat.

"A huge part of the reason I wanted to go on a walk in the first place was to find squirrels and feed them." She smiled brightly, holding one piece of the seeds out, "Come on, buddy, I brought them just for you." she called the animal and waved the almond at it.

Nothing happened for a moment. If anything, the squirrel looked ready to run away. Tenten sensed that and threw the seed in a small bow in the squirrel's direction and held out a new one between her thumb and index finger. Then both the squirrel and Neji got a little bit closer. Neji didn't expect the animal to actually come close, but apparently, the thing wasn't scared. That, or it was too hungry.. or greedy.

The squirrel got the almond waiting for it on the ground and quickly stuffed it in its mouth and got closer to Tenten who perked in anticipation, and Neji found himself suddenly standing beside her, leaning a little bit forward in his interest.

With wide eyes, Tenten watched as the squirrel cautiously came to her and snatched the almond from her fingers before running a few steps back.

Tenten giggled, delighted, and Neji's features relaxed, his eyes smiling. He had to admit, this was somehow endearing.

Taking a new piece of almond between her fingers from her other full hand, Tenten prepared to try to coax the furry creature into coming again when both she and her boyfriend were taken aback as the squirrel climbed to her lap and snatched the treat for itself and was on the ground again in a flash.

Tenten gasped and jumped upright in shock, but was soon laughing, "Oh my God, Neji, did you see _that_?"

She quickly prepared a new seed and held it out. The squirrel didn't waste time in climbing her leg to get it.

"Ow, that actually hurt. He scratched me." She glared playfully at the animal, "Bad boy." She chided. "Oh, there's another one." She bounced in excitement, pointing at the cautiously, but quickly, approaching animal. "Want to feed them too, Neji?" She didn't wait for his answer as she handed him a couple of almonds.

He found that he didn't mind feeding the squirrels, and watching his girlfriend so genuinely happy, with that beautiful, innocent smile on her face, was more than worth it.

Soon enough, they were surrounded by five to six squirrels to feed and have fun with. They'd started splitting the nuts into smaller pieces but Tenten was running short on almonds nonetheless.

"Lee is going to die with jealousy when I tell him." She smiled down at the happy little animals, in the squat again to better see them, "We could come again with him, because the squirrels wouldn't come close to the loud group of our friends."

"We still haven't found a solution to our predicament, Tenten. I am not ready to lose my way in the forest again."

"Applause, Neji, you're the best at ruining the mood."

He didn't acknowledge her.

"There!" She stood up, showing the squirrels her empty palms, "We're finished. You ate it all. OH! Oh my God, Neji, Neji, look.." she pointed and he followed her finger with his eyes, interested to see what had her so excited this time, "It's a _baby_!"

Sure enough, there was a squirrel, about half the size of the others slowly coming closer.

"Awwwwww! She's so small and adorable!"

He raised an eyebrow. Trust Tenten to call the "bad" animal that scratched her a he, and the adorable baby a she. He decided that he wasn't going to roll his eyes though. It wasn't worth it.

"Oh, no. I don't have any more almonds. What I am going to do now?" She sounded panicked.

"Well," He tried to sound gentle, "nothing we can do now. Maybe _her_ mother took something for her." He thought it would be funny if they were able to get a good look at the baby's rear end and found out it was male.

"Wait! Perhaps I still have something." She stuck her hand into her pocket and almost slumped in relief as she brought out one last piece of almond that had, apparently, been forgotten in the deep corner of the pocket.

She made sure that the little baby squirrel got that one, and with a last happy smile and a goodbye wave at the squirrels, Neji was yanking her by the hand and dragging her behind him again.

They didn't even make it for ten minutes before Tenten addressed him again.

"Neji!"

"Hm?"

"I need to pee."

He stopped and turned to her, letting go of her hand at the announcement, "How bad?"

"Very."

He sighed, "Well, you might as well relieve yourself. Who knows how long we'll stay here?!"

"Okay. Be right back." She looked around for the best spot before disappearing behind a tree, "Don't look."

She didn't need to warn him nor did she need an affirmation, but he gave her one anyway, " I won't."

"I am glad I have a tissue with me."

He had some too. It wouldn't have been a problem anyway.

A loud gasp, unmistakably horrified, startled him. "Ten, what's wrong?" He asked with clear concern.

"M-My period.." She stuttered, "Why now?" she whined and he paled, "It's four days early."

"Are-" His voice sounded hoarse, so he cleared his throat, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am sure." She yelled, "Oh shit, I don't have any pads now. What am I going to do?" silence, "Neji! What am I going to do?"

"You're asking _me_?" He sounded so flustered that she would have laughed if the situation were different.

"How much time do we have before it gets bad?"

She didn't answer, instead, shot him another awkward question. "Do you have a clean piece of clothe that you don't need?"

"A clean piece of clothe that I don't need?" He repeated, sounding a mix of scared and incredulous.

"Something that I can use for now instead of a damn sanitary napkin."

She wasn't joking, he noted.

"I have tissues." He tried.

"How many?"

He reached for the tissues in his pocket and opened his hand to look at the only white piece of paper tissue in it. "One." He confessed in a slightly broken voice.

"One?!" She yelled again, "Are you fucking kidding me?" she was suddenly standing in front of him, having finished her business and favored not keeping her privates exposed until they found a solution. "Shit, the cramps have already started." She gasped, yet gain, hands covering her mouth and the fear that flashed in her eyes complicated the knot forming in his stomach.

"What is it?" He asked in a small voice.

"My painkillers are in my backpack back in the camp. Neji, what am I going to do? I am really going to die now."

"Hey," he said gently, hugging her loosely, "You're being over dramatic now." he paused, making sure that he didn't say wrong words that will make him suffer the wrath of the PMS. When he deemed it safe, he continued, "You're not going to let some cramps take the better of you, are you?"

She pushed him away and angrily looked at him, "Some cramps?"

Oops, _now_ he said the wrong thing.

"You say "some cramps"? Do you have any idea how they feel? No! So shut up, you heartless asshole."

"Hey, hey, that's not what I meant." And he was honest. He knew that she always had strong, serious cramps and that painkillers were essential to her.

She only crossed her arms and looked away.

He sighed and decided that the truth was the best. "I was just trying to comfort you. It's stupid really, because I can't do anything and I can't guarantee you that you'll be able to have your painkillers in the right time."

She looked at him for a couple of moments, pouting in a child-like angry face, before saying, "Do you have something that I can use as a pad?"

He inwardly sighed in relief and knew that he was forgiven. But seriously.. why did she think that he had anything? Did he look like he had his own backpack with him or something?

He thought for a moment before he came to a conclusion. "I think you can use my t-shirt. It's fresh and so is my undershirt, and I haven't taken off my jacket all the time, so it didn't get any dirt from the outside or the inside; it's still pretty much fresh. I changed just an hour or so before you decided to go on a walk."

"Okay," She accepted, ignoring his remark about her being the reason why they got lost, "take it off."

He proceeded to unzip his jacket and take off the t-shirt he was wearing underneath, all the while thinking how _his_ t-shirt was going to be soaked with his girlfriend's blood. Not any blood, but _that_ blood. The blood that came from her _womb_ and would reach his shirt after passing through her-

He mentally smacked himself.. That was so inappropriate.

Or did he have the right to, since he was her boyfriend?.. Sure, they haven't been that intimate with each other yet, but..

Would it count as an indirect touch if he got the chance to touch his shirt after she used it..?!

He mentally smacked himself again and ordered the perv in him to get a hold of himself.

He gave Tenten the t-shirt and she took it from him with a "thanks".

He put his jacket on and found Tenten returning the t-shirt to him. He stared quizzically at her. "You're not going to use it?"

"You don't honestly think that I am going to stuff this whole thing into my panties, do you? Rip it to smaller pieces."

"Right." He felt his face heat up and hoped that it wasn't turning red.

After that problem was taken care of, they set to their way again. Neji had suggested they just stay and wait if she was tired, but Tenten had preferred to continue. Walking was supposed to help ease her pain, or at least distract her from it.

It worked at first, but her cramps only got worse with time. They'd spent another two hours like this. The sky was starting to become darker and it wasn't looking good for them.

"Neji!"

The breathless call of his name had him turning to her immediately. He ran to her when he saw her on her knees, clutching her stomach. He had been so focused on trying to find the right way he hadn't noticed that he was a couple of meters ahead of her.

"You okay?" He asked her in a concerned, slightly panicky voice, as he rested his hand on her back in a comforting gesture.

"I can't damn walk the pain away anymore. I'm exhausted, and it only hurts more and more."

Her breathing was coming in short, heavy exhales of air and her face was glistening. He brought his other hand to her cheek, "You're covered in cold sweat. What's happening to you?" It could have sounded offensive but they both knew it wasn't. She knew he was very scared for her and getting rapidly frustrated.

"And I'm dizzy and nauseous."

"Why didn't you say anything until now?" He really was all worked up and panicked.

"It kind of hit me just now."

His face had "What's this bullshit you're saying?" written all over it, but he just shook his head and helped her up again. "Come on, let's take you to the tree over there."

He saw the struggle on her face and in her eyes, and in the wobbly way she moved. Her body must be on the verge of a complete collapse. He led her to the nearest tree and she sat on the ground there, still clutching at her lower abdomen. He sat beside her and carefully took her in his arms. _"Oh God, what am I going to do?"_ running through his head.

As if reading his mind, Tenten reassured him, managing to sound pained and playful at the same time, "Don't worry, I'm not going to die."

He stroked her wet bangs out of her face, "Is this even normal?"

"I suppose."

She moaned in pain then, her moan turning into a whimper, "It hurts. I want my painkillers."

To his absolute horror, tears started streaming down her cheeks, "How am I going to spend the night here?" she said in a crying-affected voice.

He pressed her closer to him and kissed her head, "We-" he knew it was stupid, but a comforting gesture wouldn't be bad, right? "We might find the way back."

She laughed weakly.

"Or maybe they'll find us quickly."

"I hope so."

He knew she had bad periods. That the first day was usually hell if not taken care of, and in the years he knew her, she had actually skipped school a couple of times because of it.

But this.. this couldn't be normal, and he was so worried he couldn't think straight, but he had to do something, damn it, anything.

The sun was already setting and it would soon be dark.

A light breeze blew its way through the place, brushing against them. Tenten shivered as the wind made the cold sweat she was covered with make her colder and even less comfortable. Neji then removed her from himself gently. Unable to steady herself in an upright position, she leaned onto the tree trunk, breathing heavily. She looked at him to find him taking his jacket off.

"It's cold, Neji, are you crazy?"

"You need it more than I do." He offered her the jacket, waiting for her to put her arm in the sleeve, but she didn't.

"You're only in your damn undershirt, Neji. You're going to catch a cold like this."

"It takes a way lower temperature to make me sick. It's only fall."

"You're not as high and mighty as you think you are, Neji. It's going to get colder at night. Now put that thing on again, you're making my cramps worse."

"Tenten," He tried his best to sound stern but gentle at the same time, "You're going to take this jacket this instant."

Another breeze came and Tenten tucked the collar of her own jacket tight around her neck and held it at the coldness she felt. He did not shiver in his thin underwear, instead, gave her a look of "See? Told you you need it" and she reluctantly accepted it and wore it over hers. The new feel of warmth was a small, nice luxury in her situation, and she felt a little bit less uneasy.

"Thanks." She leaned against the tree again, adjusting herself so she was in a semi lying position, "Let's snuggle so you don't get sick."

He would've chuckled at that, but she looked so bad that he couldn't even turn the corners of his mouth up. What if she needed some immediate medical attention? What was he going to do?

He moved to hold her again when something caught his eye.

"Tenten, there's a sign board."

"Huh?" She looked up, "Where?"

He inclined his head in the direction, "Just over there. I'll check it. Wait a minute."

The sign board just said "Shinrin" indicating the name of this area, which was of no use to them since they didn't know anything about the forest.

"If only it were a direction sign, it would've been much better." Neji had sat to Tenten again and she was almost on his lap. He hoped that she'd fall asleep. She was really suffering and it seemed that her pain was still getting worse by the minute.

They spent another twenty minutes like that. It didn't look like Tenten was about to fall asleep any time soon. She was exhausted, but the pain was keeping her awake. And she was still sweaty and the temperature was only dropping the less sunlight the forest had to be warmed with. He was starting to feel cold too."

"Tenten?" He asked softly.

"Hm?"

"Where are the shirt pieces?"

"I still need them for later."

"I know. Give me the small piece from the sleeve. I want to wipe the sweat from your face. It could help you get a little warmer." His only paper tissue had already been used for her nose. He hoped that she wasn't going to get sick.

"It's in my jacket's pocket. Left."

Well, at least it was her exposed side. It would be a little difficult if he had to dig between himself and her if it was in the right one.

He didn't have to unzip his jacket, but instead just lifted it up a little bit and found her pocket from underneath. His hand met the cotton fabric of his destroyed t-shirt and he took it out. The pieces in his hand were the smaller ones.. The two or three bigger ones must be in the other pocket, he thought as he chose one.

He tried his best to wipe the sweat from her face and neck before returning the remaining pieces of his shirt to her pocket. His fingers brushed against what felt like paper..

"What's this?"

"Huh? What?"

He took the paper out and unfolded it, "It's a map."

"A map?" She repeated, unfocused, and watched as he studied it.

"It's a map of the forest." He seemed suddenly full of hope.

"Huh?" She was silent for a few moments as she tried to remember, "Oh.. I think Sakura put it in my jacket by mistake this morning."

"Here's Shinrin." He pointed and Tenten sat a little straighter to look, "And here's where our camp is. It's not far away."

"You think you can find the way?" She asked him hopefully.

"Yes."

He looked in the barley-there-sun's direction and then around determining the cardinal directions with the guide of the west point, and finding the path in the east-south direction like the map said assured him.

"Come on," He helped her to her feet then turned around so his back was facing her and lowered himself a little, "get on my back."

She did not complain, too tired and in too much pain to be stubborn. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he got her thighs with his hands to support her on his hips and she rested her chin on his shoulder."

"Sorry, Neji, I am only a burden today, aren't I?"

"Shsh, you're wounding me." He said with a smile in his voice.

She managed a chuckle.

He smiled with the softest expression on his face and turned his head further to kiss her cheek. "I love you." He adjusted her on his back, making sure she was in the best position, "Come on now. Let's get you back."

With that, they started on their way again, only stopping every now and then so Neji could take a proper look at the map and give his arms a small break, or when Tenten needed the short break as the movement seemed to worsen her condition and make her feel more nauseous.

It had been around half an hour and it was already dark.

"Just a little more, Ten, I promise."

She gave him a whimper for an answer that had a hint of an agreement sound in it.

"We should be really close now." He stopped to look around and something caught his eye. "I think I can see the fire from the camp."

"Really?" She tried to look up and he pointed in the direction for her.

"We're here." He gave her his best reassuring voice and started walking again.

Sure enough, Neji stepped into their group's camp a couple of minutes later, feeling like it was a miracle. Kiba and Naruto were the only ones sitting outside to the fire.

"Neji?!" Kiba exclaimed, getting to his feet, and Naruto turned to them at Kiba's voice.

"You're back." Naruto looked a little shocked as he, too, approached them.

"Where the fuck were you? Iruka sensei and a couple of others are looking for you at the moment. Huh?" He suddenly stopped, noticing Tenten's condition, "What's wrong with Tenten? Is she alright? Did something happen?"

"She's.." Neji started, but didn't know how to put it. At this point, every one remaining was out of their tents, gasping and expressing their surprise and relief that they were back. "She's.. you know.."

Both Kiba and Naruto arched their eyebrows at that.

"No," Kiba remarked, "I don't know."

The girls were all surrounding him by now, checking on Tenten, who managed to moan out that she wanted her painkillers. The girls understood right away.

"Let's take her to the tent, Neji." Sakura told him.

He nodded and carried her to the girls' tent. The girls had the biggest one and they all shared it. He gently laid her in her sleeping bag and Hinata helped her out of his jacket and handed it back to him to wear. Soon, Sakura came to her with the long awaited painkillers before going again to fetch something else.

"Aww, poor Tennie." Ino said, stroking her hair. "It's going to be all better in no time."

"It's not just the cramps." Neji said, "She's sweating like crazy and feeling nauseous and dizzy. Is this normal?"

They looked at him, not really knowing themselves, and he suddenly felt awkward being in the girls' tent, alone with the girls, discussing the menstrual cycle.

"I would say that every body is different," Sakura came back with a banana that she was peeling, "but these extreme symptoms might have been reduced if she had something to eat, especially this total exhaustion. She hadn't had anything since breakfast, and she didn't even eat that well."

Neji always though that Sakura over did it with how she acted like a doctor just because she wanted to study medicine, but he very much appreciated her this time.

Ino helped Tenten into a semi sitting position and Sakura gave her the banana.

"I feel you, girl. I know this is horrible." Sakura sympathised. "Do you want another one?" She asked her when she was finished with the banana.

Tenten shook her her head, "I need a sanitary pad."

"What are you using now? Tissues won't hold long."

Tenten shook her head again, "Neji's shirt."

Ino laughed and Sakura looked abruptly at him while Hinata blushed.

"It's not funny, Ino." Tenten told her.

"I know, I know. It's not. I actually think it's quite romantic." She winked at Neji who rolled his eyes.

"But I don't want to get up and change." Tenten moaned in pain again as she slipped back into her sleeping bag and pressed her arms over her belly.

"It's okay." Sakura reassured her, "Sleep and rest now. I'll wake you up after two hours to change. By then the medicine will have kicked in long ago and a two hours sleep isn't so bad."

Tenten nodded and they left her to rest, Neji being the last one to go after giving her a kiss on the still sweaty forehead.

She was awoken two hours later, feeling much better already. She changed her clothes completely and had her share of the dinner her friends left aside for her. Iruka sensei did not lecture her about going away from the group without saying or preparing but he did mention it.

In the morning, Neji entered the girls' tent to check on her. She was the last one to get up, but he found her awake.

"Good morning." He sat beside her sleeping bag as she rose to a sitting position too.

"Morning." She rubbed her eyes and stretched. "Oh God! It's the best feeling _ever_ when the pain goes away."

"I am glad you're feeling better."

She flung her arms around his neck, a little too enthusiastically and nuzzled her cheek against his, "Thank you, Neji. I love you."

He wrapped his arms around her figure too, returning the hug, " I hope you learned your lesson."

She sat back and lifted one index finger in the air, "Of course I did. Never feed the squirrels your almonds when you have nothing to eat yourself."

He laughed, and so did she.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed. Thanks for sticking up with me.

The idea started as writing them lost in a forest, and Tenten needing to pee kind of turned into period problems. XD

 _Shinrin_ is what Google Translator gave me for "forest" in Japanese. It's just random.

Some support is amazing, and till next time! :)


	3. Happy Birthday, My Love!

Hello, people, how are you? It's been a million years. I haven't even been reading and reviewing as much as I used to, but one thing for sure, my love for NejiTen is as strong as ever.

I wanted to write something for Tenten's birthday. Though I missed it, it's still March, so there you go.

* * *

 **This Chapter:**

 **Title:** Happy Birthday, My Love!

 **Genre:** Angst, Family.

 **Summary:** There were flowers, someone's favorite breakfast, a hand made card and a picture. It was Tenten's birthday.

* * *

Neji looked at the calendar with a soft smile. March the 9th. The day was marked with a heart drawn with red crayon. He'd been waiting for this day.

Tenten's birthday.

He got dressed and left the apartment quietly. First the flowers, then he would prepare breakfast before waking her up.

He returned a little bit later with a bouquet of white roses and pink orchids. He put the flowers on the dining table to remove his jacket before he came back to put them in a vase.

He wasn't big on the meaning of flowers, though when he asked, it seemed fitting. But they had a special meaning to him. The white roses reminded him of his wife in her wedding dress; beautiful, so breath taking he hadn't been able to prevent the dampness in his eyes as he'd taken her hand in his. And though it was not their wedding anniversary, he loved to buy them and think of that day.

The orchids.. Tenten had always liked them, and pink was her favorite color. She got her pink cup, bowl, notebook, pen, hair brush, towel and many other things, not to mention clothing. When she was a kid, she used to only wear her pink tops if she could, unless they were all in the laundry. He still clearly remembered the Chinese style, sleeveless pink top. She wore that one way too often.

He smiled to himself at the memory, removing his hands from the flowers he was arranging, satisfied with the look.

He then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He had started preparing last night, so it wasn't going to take him long. Everything should be ready in half an hour.

Tenten's favorite breakfast, not missing the sesame dumplings, of course.

When he was done, and the table set, he headed to the bedroom.

He opened the door quietly, peering into a very pink room and looking lovingly at the small figure snuggled up in the covers, still sleeping soundly.

He went over to her bed and softly kissed the little girl on the cheek. "Airi," He stroked her hair gently, "it's time to wake up."

The girl stirred and sighed, automatically rubbing an eye with her tiny fist, before returning to sleep.

Neji smiled fondly before stroking her hair again, brushing soft, messy strands out of her face, "It's time to wake up, Airi." he repeated, "Do you know what day it is today?"

The half asleep girl was awake right away, eyes fully open. It only took her a second. She fell asleep thinking of it, after all. She quickly turned on her tummy and pushed herself backwards to sit up, "Is it mommy's birthday now?" she asked with big eyes and excitement and hope.

Neji nodded and kissed her forehead, "Is your present ready?"

"Yes!"

Of course it was. She'd been working on the card for days, and it was carefully laid on her bedstand, ready for today.

Airi quickly reached for her hand made birthday card and held it to her chest.

"She's going to love it."

She smiled happily, with teeth and eyes, beaming at him, and a giddy giggle escaped her.

He fought for composure, shakily kissing her head again, "Come on, my love." he lifted his daughter by the armpits out of the bed and put her on her feet, "Let's get you ready and go say Happy Birthday to your mother."

A few minutes later, Airi ran out of her room with a fresh outfit and brushed hair straight to the dining table with a big smile, Neji following her. She swiftly climbed her own chair as Neji settled himself beside her.

The little girl turned her big smile to the picture that sat on the table across from them, looking at the still, captured smiling face of her mother, "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"

"Happy Birthday, Tenten."

"Look, Mommy, a present." Airi presented the card, "I made it myself." she said proudly, opening the card and showing all the other colors and designs on the inside, "Auntie Hanabi only helped me a little bit, and Daddy helped me with the scissors and the writing: "Happy Birthday, Mommy! I love you! Your daughter, Airi."" she read aloud before adding in a small voice, "I hope you like it." she set the card in front of the picture on the table.

Neji had told his daughter that there was no need to go to her mother's grave to tell her or give her something, because she was already in heaven, only her body lied beneath the earth, but her mommy could be really everywhere, always with her, watching from above, so she could tell her anything whenever she wanted.

They were still going to visit her grave after breakfast, but they could already say Happy Birthday.

"It's beautiful, Airi. I am sure she loves it and is hugging and kissing you."

The girl tilted her head to the right, putting a small palm on her cheek with a smile. The tears glistened in her beautiful brown eyes and his heart broke.

She fought the tears and her lip trembled badly before they slid down her cheeks and she was in her father's embrace.

"I miss Mommy so much." She sobbed, wetting his shirt as he held her close.

"I know," He felt the tears pooling in his own eyes, "I know, my child. I miss her too." he breathed out, calming himself, "but she wants us to be happy." he slowly and carefully removed the crying girl from him, holding her small shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "All your mother wanted from her life is for you to be happy, you already know that."

She nodded but the tears kept coming.

"I know it's hard." He wiped gently at her cheeks, removing the wetness, "But we are going to make it. And today is her birthday too; we have to be happy."

She nodded again, this time a little bit calmer.

It was the first time they celebrated Tenten's birthday without her.

It had been seven months already. It wasn't hard to smile and laugh and live life anymore. And he had his most precious daughter to live for. But every time he thought about Tenten one minute longer he felt the ache in his heart and the stinging in his eyes.

"Daddy, you're crying too."

"I am?"

He smiled at her and she rested her hand on his thigh to prop herself up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He caught her little hand and kissed it.

"Let's have breakfast now." He adjusted her on her stool. "We have a long day full with fun plans ahead of us, and we're meeting with your aunts and cousins for lunch too."

She smiled, "Let's have breakfast." she repeated cutely.

"A special Mommy's Favorites breakfast. Who wants a sesame dumpling?"

"Me!" Airi held a hand up, excited again.

One day, he was going to find peace, he was sure. One day, he would think about Tenten and smile fondly at the memories without his heart breaking all over again. Until then, it would be hard, but he had his beautiful angel, and she had him. God knew he wouldn't have survived if he hadn't had her.

He was glad she had her mother's eyes, so every time he looked in them, he saw the eyes that he fell in love with.

And he was grateful he had a daughter. She would forever stay Daddy's little girl. No matter how old she became, and even when she got married and had children of her own, she would still allow him to kiss her and hug her and hold her close and protect her, and she would love it. A son wouldn't.

" _I love you, Tenten, and I miss you so much, but I'm going to make sure that Airi and I stay happy for you, my love."_

* * *

I had a plan of writing something happy and fluffy. I don't know how I ended up with this sad piece, but I am happy with how it turned out.

I had a paragraph of the story deleted where I mentioned Airi's age, so I'll tell you here: she is close to becoming five.

I didn't mention how Tenten died because I really didn't think of a specific way, just that it was a sudden death not after a long time being ill.

More love for NejiTen?

Until next time. :)


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